Gรถteborg Book Fair, September 25-28, 2014
C VOICES FROM CATALONIA, A PLACE OF LITERATURE
atalan culture’s commitment to literature and books goes back a long way. From the time Cervantes brought Don Quixote to the city of Barcelona until now, it has welcomed writers of all origins and, in doing so, has enjoyed dialogue with those outside of its borders, viewing things through their eyes and attempting to define, both for them as well as for itself, its place in the world.
Dialoguing with writers, however, didn’t stop there, but also fostered a first-rate and flourishing publishing industry. The Latin American literature boom that led to two Nobel prizes, took off in Barcelona, spurred by an ambitious publishing industry and nurtured by a rich intellectual atmosphere. In addition, the fact that in Barcelona works are not only published in Catalan, but in Spanish as well, creates a doubly powerful dynamic. Voices from Catalonia presents ten authors who write in Catalan, Spanish and French and are an excellent representation of contemporary Catalan literature: Albert Sánchez Piñol’s urban fiction rooted in Barcelona; Jaume Cabré’s, Javier Cercas’s and Najat El Hachmi’s commitment to Catalan identity and memory; the poetic voices of Francesc Parcerisas, Salem Zenia and Marta Pessarrodona; new translations to Swedish of works by Mercè Rodoreda, Maria Àngels Anglada, Nuria Amat and Care Santos; and Mariona Cabassa’s illustration work. Given this tradition of open dialogue, the program focuses on conversations with authors from other countries, among them Daniel Galera from Brazil, Petra Hůlová from the Czech Republic, and Lotta Lundberg from Sweden; all of which we hope will open new doors to Swedish readers. We look forward to seeing you there! Àlex Susanna Director, Institut Ramon Llull
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CON VER SATI ONS Events programme
25 THURSDAY
1600 -1645
SEMINAR HALL: H1
Barcelona, a city of the imagination Nuria Amat, Jaume Cabré, Albert Sánchez Piñol
26 FRIDAY
SEMINAR HALL: H1
10 00 -1045
Catalonia, a place of literature Najat El Hachmi, Albert Sánchez Piñol, Care Santos
1400 -1445
Whether memory can overcome tragedy Jaume Cabré, Lotta Lundberg
1500 -1545
International imagery? Mariona Cabassa, Roger Mello
1700 -1745
Young writers, international lives Ricardo Adolfo, Petra Hulová, Najat El Hachmi
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27 SATURDAY
10 00 -1045
The classics are not dead Eva Ström, Jens Nordenhök
SEMINAR HALL: J1
1100 -1145
The land of the soul Nuria Amat, Inger Enkvist
C02:19-IRL STAND
1200 -1245
The core of the novel Javier Cercas, Daniel Galera
SEMINAR HALL: H1
1300 -1345
C02:19 This endless parade to say: on Quim Monzó IRL STAND María Cederroth, Erik Grundström
1400 -1445
Catalan poetic voices: LYRIKVÄNNEN Jonas Ellerström, Lasse Söderberg
1400 -1445
Workshop with Mariona Cabassa Mariona Cabassa
1500 -1525
RUM FÖR POESI The triumph of poetry Francesc Parcerisas, Marta Pessarrodona, Lasse Söderberg
1600 -1615
The triumph of poetry Salem Zenia
C02:19 IRL STAND HALL A 03:22
RUM FÖR POESI
25 THURSDAY SEMINAR HALL: H1
1600 -1645 Nuria Amat Jaume Cabré Albert Sánchez Piñol Moderator: Svante Fregert
Barcelona, a city of the imagination
Nuria Amat, author of many works, who has written both in Spanish and in Catalan and whose latest novel is entitled Love and Peace; Jaume Cabré, celebrated Catalan novelist, essayist and screenwriter; and Albert Sánchez Piñol, writer and anthropologist, whose works are clearly linked to Barcelona, will discuss its fascination and the way the city has shaped their novels. Language: Swedish
6 If man is the only being with a geometrical, rational mind, why is it that the poor and defenseless take up arms against the powerful and well equipped? Why do the few oppose the many, and the small resist the great? I know the reason why. One word. Victus: The Fall of Barcelona, by Albert Sánchez Piñol
FRIDAY 26 SEMINAR HALL: H1
1000 -1045 Najat El Hachmi Albert Sánchez Piñol Care Santos Moderator: Carina Brandt
CATALONIA, A PLACE OF LITERATURE
Three Catalan writers will talk about their own literary language: Care Santos, author of novels, short stories and literature both for young readers and adults; Albert Sánchez Piñol, author of Victus, a novel written in Spanish on the siege of Barcelona in 1714; and Najat El Hachmi, author of three books, the most recent of which is The Body Hunter. Language: Swedish
7 “The day I explain everything I remember, the dead will roll over in their graves” Conxita once said to her dear Aurora. Closed Rooms, by Care Santos
26 FRIDAY SEMINAR HALL: H1
1400 -1445 Jaume Cabré Lotta Lundberg Moderator: Ulf Peter Hallberg
WHether memory can overcome tragedy
A conversation between Jaume Cabré, celebrated Catalan writer of novels, essays and screenplays; and novelist Lotta Lundberg about exploring the different paths of memory as an indispensable tool to revisit different moments in history in the Old Continent. Language: Swedish
8 Up until last night, walking along the wet streets of Vallcarca, I didn’t comprehend that being born into that family had been an unforgivable mistake. Suddenly I understood that I had always been alone, never able to count on parents or a God I could entrust to search for solutions though, as I grew up, I got in the habit of delegating the weight of thought and the responsibility for my actions into vague beliefs and very wide readings. Yesterday, Tuesday night, caught in the downpour on my way home from Dalmau’s house, I came to the conclusion that this burden was mine alone. Confessions, by Jaume Cabré
FRIDAY 26 SEMINAR HALL: H1
1500 -1545 Mariona Cabassa Roger Mello
International Imagery?
Illustrator and writer Roger Mello from Brazil and Catalan illustrator Mariona Cabassa join in a conversation with literary educationalist and literary critic Agneta Edwards regarding creativity, the possibilities that imagery holds and their respective sources of inspiration. Language: English
Moderator: Agneta Edwards
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FRIDAY 26 SEMINAR HALL: H1
1700 -1745 Ricardo Adolfo Petra Hulová Najat El Hachmi
Young writers, international lives
Portuguese writer Ricardo Adolfo, author of Mizé, among other works, will discuss what awaits after this success and he will be joined by Czech writer Petra Hulová, author of her latest work All This Belongs To Me, among other novels, and Catalan writer Najat El Hachmi. Language: English
Moderator: Andreas Ekström
10 This is the story of Mimoun, son of Driouch, son of Allal, son of Mohammed, son of Mohand, son of Bouziane, whom we shall simply call Mimoun. It is his story and the story of the last of the great patriarchs who make up the long chain of Driouch’s forbears. Every single one lived, acted and intervened in the lives of those around them as firmly as the great figures in the Bible. The Old Patriarch, by Najat El Hachmi
27 SATURDAY SEMINAR HALL: J1
1000 -1045 Eva Ström Jens Nordenhök Moderator: Håkan Bravinger
The classics are not dead
The coming out in Swedish of two major works of Catalan contemporary literature such as In Diamond Square, by Mercè Rodoreda (1908-1983) and The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria-Àngels Anglada (1930-1999), is the occasion to discuss the importance of reading the classics, both our own and those from other cultures. Eva Ström, poet and author of the preface to In Diamond Square, Jens Nordenhök, translator of both books and great connoisseur of Catalan culture and literature, and Håkan Bravinger, editor, will discuss this and much more. Language: Swedish
“I went in white from head to toe: starched dress and petticoat, shoes like splashes of milk, white paste earring, three matching bangles and a white handbag Julie said was oilskin, with a clasp like a golden seashell.” In Diamond Square, by Mercè Rodoreda
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27 SATURDAY C02:19 / IRL STAND
1100 -1145 Nuria Amat Inger Enkvist
THE LAND OF THE SOUL
Nuria Amat, catalan novelist and author of Det lilla landet (Tranan Förlag) [The Land of the Soul] will have a conversation with critic Inger Enkvist on this novel and her most recent one, Love and Peace. Language: Swedish
12 I saw you first, Nena said. Best distract myself with immediate memories. Not delve back, to the origin of things and the dark dance of blank spaces in time. Simply remember. My brothers’ days were numbered, Nena said. First they were imprisoned in the Barcelona jail. Later they were taken to the Campo in León, the harshest, very coldest camp in the war. And when they decided to execute them, my brothers made a last minute escape from the firing squad. Maybe they died then and new, different brothers came back from the war. The Land of the Soul, by Nuria Amat
SATURDAY 27 SEMINAR HALL: H1
1200 -1245 Javier Cercas Daniel Galera
The core of the novel: What fiction can do
Major questions on the task of writing a novel will be discussed by Daniel Galera, a young Brazilian writer, translator and editor of international renown, together with Javier Cercas, Catalan novelist and short story writer. Language: English
Moderator: Ulf Eriksson
13 … a moment later I felt a slap on my shoulder that made me stagger. What’s up, Gafitas?, asked Zarco, taking my place at the controls of the machine. He looked me in my bespectacled eyes with his very blue ones, spoke with a husky voice, had a centre parting in his hair and wore a tight denim jacket over a tight beige T-shirt. He repeated, defiantly. What’s up? I was scared. Holding up my hands I said: I just finished. I turned around to leave, but at that moment Tere stepped in my way and my face was a handspan from hers. My first impression was surprise; my second, of being completely dazzled… Outlaws, by Javier Cercas
27 SATURDAY C02:19 / IRL STAND
1300 -1345 María Cederroth Erik Grundström
THIS ENDLESS PARADE TO SAY: on quim monzó
The launch of Tusen dårar (Sadura Förlag), by Quim Monzó, one of the best Catalan short-story writers is the perfect excuse for a conversation between María Cederroth, translator, and Erik Grundström, editor, on the day-to-day acid world portrayed by the author. Language: Swedish
14 Father takes advantage of a halt in this endless parade to say—once again, as he does every time—that one pill would do it, one of those pills they give you and that’s the end, you rest for ever. He calls it an Anastasia. It’s obvious he knows he’s referring to euthanasia, but he loves saying Anastasia, as if he’s making fun of old people’s uncontrollable tendency to jumble their words. A Thousand Morons, by Quim Monzó
SATURDAY 27 C02:19 / IRL STAND
1400 -1445 Jonas Ellerström Lasse Söderberg
CATALAN POETIC VOICES: LYRIKVÄNNEN
Lasse Söderberg, poet, translator, and editor of the Lyrikvännen issue devoted to Contemporary Catalan poetry, will introduce it to Swedish readers together with Jonas Ellerström, editor. With the presence of the Catalan poets Francesc Parcerisas and Marta Pessarrodona. Language: Swedish
15 The love you didn’t expect is always more pure. It is a gift of compassion where time, more austere and uncertain, more absolute, seems to stop on the dime of your silences. Waiting Room, by Francesc Parcerisas
27 SATURDAY HALL A 03:22
1400 -1445 Mariona Cabassa
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WORKSHOP WITH MARIONA CABASSA
Workshop for adults with M. Cabassa, international awardwinning illustrator with a background as an art and design teacher.
SATURDAY 27 Rum för Poesi
1500 -1525 Francesc Parcerisas Marta Pessarrodona Lasse Söderberg
THE TRIUMPH OF POETRY
Celebrated Catalan poets Francesc Parcerisas and Marta Pessarrodona together with Lasse Söderberg, translator and the finest connoisseur of Catalan poetry in Sweden, will read segments of their poetry which recently appeared in translation to Swedish in Lyrikvännen. We feel so much like dying when everything around us is eager to come to life. Springtime, by Marta Pessarrodona
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Rum för Poesi
1600 -1615
THE TRIUMPH OF POETRY
Salem Zenia, poet, novelist and journalist of Berber origin, and living in Catalonia, will read from his poems.
Salem Zenia I climbed the palm to posses her fruits. I had everything well prepared and on her shoulders I had carried the war. The Palm, by Salem Zenia
BIO GRA PHI ES Catalan Literature
det lilla landet
(The Land of The Soul, Tranan 2014) Translated by Marika Gedin
Nuria Amat (Barcelona), novelist, has also published essays and poetry, as well as written for the press and the theatre. Among her novels are, La intimidad [Intimacy], El país del alma [The Land of the Soul], (shortlisted for the Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize in 2001), and Reina de América (Queen Cocaine, City Lights, 2005), which won the Ciudad de Barcelona Award in 2002. Her work has been translated into French, German, English and Swedish, including the novels Drottnig av Amerika (Themis Förlag), Det mest privata and Det lilla landet (Tranan Förlag) and Kärleg och krig in 2015. www.nuriaamat.com
19 the c family
(Kalandraka, 2010) Translated by Pep Bruno
Mariona Cabassa (Barcelona, 1977), illustrator. Her work regularly features in magazines, newspapers and international publications. It has also been included in group exhibitions on illustration and engraving, as well as in comic book and animation projects. She has published several picture books for children. She was selected in 2005 to participate in the International Bologna Book Fair. www.marionacabassa.es
confessions
(Arcadia, 2014) Translated by Mara Lethem
Jaume Cabré (Barcelona, 1947), essayist, novelist, story writer, film and television scriptwriter and playwright, is one of the most internationally celebrated contemporary Catalan writers. His latest novel, Jo confesso (2011) [Confessions, Arcadia, 2014] has been acclaimed by both the Catalan and Spanish as well as the international press and has been awarded many national and international prizes, including Prix Courrier International and Prix Méditerranée in France. His works have been translated into more than 20 languages. www.jaumecabre.cat
20 outlaws
(Bloomsbury, 2014) Translated by Anne McLean
Javier Cercas (Ibahernando,1962), writer of novels, novellas and short stories. Among his novels, Soldados de Salamina (2002) [Soldiers of Salamis, Bloomsbury, 2004], La velocidad de la luz (2005) [The Speed of Light, Bloomsbury, 2006], Anatomía de un instante (2009) [The Anatomy of a Moment, Bloomsbury, 2011] and his latest novel Las leyes de la frontera (2012) [Border Law, Bloomsbury, 2014]. In addition to his novels and novellas, Cercas has published texts on literary studies, and translations. He regularly contributes to El País newspaper. He has received several Spanish and international awards, including the International Foreign Fiction Prize in United Kingdom and the Grinzane Cavour in Italy. His works have been translated into 26 languages.
the last patriach
(Serpent’s Tail, 2010) Translated by Peter Bush
Najat El Hachmi Buhhu (Morocco, 1979), novelist, has lived in Spain from the age of eight. She has a degree in Arab Studies from the University of Barcelona. Her first novel L’últim patriarca (2008) [The Last Patriarch, Serpent’s Tail, 2010] won the Ramon Llull Prize 2008 and the Prix Ulysse. Following the novel La caçadora de cossos (2011) [The Body Hunter, Serpent’s Tail, 2013] her latest book is the anthology Cuentos libertinos del Magreb (2012), that she edited and translated. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Turkish.
21 katalonien, lyrikvännen
(Ellerströms, 2014) Translated by Lasse Söderberg
Francesc Parcerisas (Begues, Baix Llobregat, 1944) poet, translator and literary critic. As an outstanding member of the 1970s literary generation, he has published inter alia the following collections of poems: Homes que es banyen (Men Bathing – 1966), L’edat d’or (The Golden Age – 1984), Focs d’octubre (October Fires – 1992) and Natura morta amb nens (Still Life with Children – 2000). As a poet he has received numerous prizes, has translated a great number of works, and has been recognised in this sphere with two major prizes for Poetic Translation. His work has been translated into several languages, among them Swedish (Lyrikvännen, Ellerströms, 2014).
katalonien, lyrikvännen
(Ellerströms, 2014) Translated by Lasse Söderberg
Marta Pessarrodona (Terrassa, 1941), poet and literary critic, among her first books of poetry are September 30, (1969) and Confession (Poetry Ireland, 1998), followed by Berlin Suite (1985), Homage to Walter Benjamin (1988) and Love in Barcelona (1998). Her publications also include a biography of Mercè Rodoreda and biographical portraits of outstanding Catalan women authors, such as Maria Aurèlia Capmany and Montserrat Roig. Her work has been translated into several languages, among them Swedish (Lyrikvännen, Ellerströms, 2014).
22 victus: the fall of barcelona
(Harper Collins, 2014) Translated by Daniel Hahn and Thomas Bunstead
Albert Sánchez Piñol, (Barcelona, 1965), anthropologist and writer, is the author of Pallassos i monstres, La pell freda (2002)[Cold skin, FSG, 2005], [Kall Hud, N&K, 2005] that obtained several awards and became a literary phenomenon in Spain and beyond. This novel was translated into 37 languages. He then wrote Pandora al Congo (2005) and the collection of short stories Tretze tristos tràngols (2008). Victus. Barcelona 1714 (2012) [Victus. The fall of Barcelona, Harper Collins, 2014] is his most recent book, a best-selling historical novel on the siege and fall of Barcelona during the Spanish War of Succession.
de gömda rummen
(Albert Bonniers, 2013) Translated by Johanna Svartström
Care Santos (Barcelona, 1970), author of novels, short stories and literature both for young readers and adults, has received many literary awards. Among her production of books, the novel Habitaciones cerradas (2011), a bestseller praised by both critics and readers, and translated into 15 languages including Swedish (De Gömda Rummen, Albert Bonniers, 2013) and her latest one Desig de xocolata (2014) which won the Ramon Llull Prize. www.caresantos.com
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Salem Zenia (Kabylia, Algeria, 1962), amazigh (Berber) writer, poet and novelist, he has published poetry collections such as Les rêves de Yidir/Tirga n Yidir [Yidir’s Dreams] and Blind Sun/Itíjaderyal (2008) and novels, among them, Iyil d wefru [Power and Sword] in 2003 and Tifeswin/Printemps [Springs] in 2004. Defender of the rights of the Berber people and victim of linguistic and religious persecution, Salem currently resides in Barcelona, welcomed by the Catalan PEN within the Guest Writer Program.
“It was late at night, and I coul Not that it was powerful, but it instruments made by the great it might have been a violin fro of Krakow have survived so mu violin, it struck me that hers w It was not implausible that it w the long line of violin makers.”
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“Julie came to the cake-shop just to tell me they wou they got to the luck posy; she’d seen them and they we showing its pips, painted on a white background. I did or even going out, after I’d spent the whole day sellin from tying all those gilded raffia knots and handles. A manage on as little as three hours’ sleep and didn’t min she insisted I went all the same, and that was me all ov to do something and had to say no. I went in white f and petticoat, shoes like splashes of milk, white paste and a white handbag Julie said was oilskin, with a clas
ldn’t sleep. I could still hear the sound of the violin. was velvety and full. Of course, it was not one of the masters of Cremona. It occurred to me, though, that om the old Polish school. Could a Mateusz Dobrucki uch ruin? As I pondered the mystery of the woman’s was a darker red, not as transparent as a Dobrucki. was German, or Tyrolese, made by one of the Klotzes, The Violin ofAuschwitz, by Maria Àngels Anglada (Bantam Books, 2010) Translated by Martha Tennent
uld be raffling coffeepots before ere lovely, an orange split in two, dn’t feel like going to the dance ng cakes and my fingertips ached And because I knew Julie could nd whether she slept or not. But ver, it upset me when I was asked from head to toe: starched dress earring, three matching bangles sp like a golden seashell.” In Diamond Square , by Mercè Rodoreda (Virago, 2013) Translated by Peter Bush
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Mercè Rodoreda (1908-1983) is the leading novelist in Catalan literature and also the most translated–particularly as regards La plaça del Diamant (1962). Born in Barcelona, she lived in other European cities, mainly Paris and Geneva, and experienced first-hand two of the main historical events of the twentieth century: the Spanish Civil War, in Catalonia, and the Second World War, in France. The first represented a long period of exile, while the second was a dramatic experience, and together they helped her attain a profound human and literary maturity. In fact her life was very much that of a novelist, and she always said she had lived as one ought to live: dangerously. Rodoreda belongs very much to the twentieth century, one of war, exile and totalitarian regimes, which are essentially reflected in her work. Her fiction centres on the inner life of her characters, following the line of the European novelists she always admired, from Tolstoy to Proust via Virginia Woolf and James Joyce. It was a line that she updated and made her own.
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In fact, in the prologue to her last novel with its explicit title, Quanta, quanta guerra… (1980), Rodoreda points out that her generation was surrounded by blood and death and, thus, war is always present in her novels. This is the case with her two best known books, La plaça del Diamant and Mirall trencat (1974). In the latter, a highly complex work, the Civil War brings the rich web of characters and plots to an abrupt and tragic end. It is a picture of upper-middle-class Barcelona, spanning a period that runs from the end of the nineteenth century up to the Civil War. With her experience of life and her knowledge of the human being’s most inner crevices–heightened by the subconscious and dreams–the author demonstrates her skilful mastery of the most diverse narrative resources and techniques in order to hold the reader, without ever renouncing the literary rigour that characterises her work.
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Maria Àngels Anglada (Vic, 1930 - Figueres, 1999), with a very sound classical education, cleverly combines delicate poetry, versatile novels and literary essay. She excels in the translation of classical Greek and Armenian poets and in a meditation starting from their texts. She cultivated such different literary genres as poetry, fiction, literary criticism and the essay. She also worked with a number of periodical publications. Her most outstanding works include Les Closes (The Enclosures), winner of the 1978 Josep Pla prize, Sandàlies d’escuma (Sandals of Foam), 1985 Lletra d’Or prize, Columnes d’hores (Columns of Hours), her collected poetic works to 1990, and, most significantly, El violí d’Auschwitz (The Violin of Auschwitz), acclaimed by critics and public alike, and Quadern d’Aram (Aram’s Notebook). She also wrote books of stories about Greek mythology for young readers.
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Several of her essays offer a very personal view of the world of the Greeks, alternating studies on its poets and writers–from Homer, Sappho and Sophocles to Cavafy, Seferis, Kazantzakis and Elytis–with a passionate view of everyday life in classical Greece. Maria Àngels writing has become a benchmark of authenticity, among the purest in contemporary Catalan literature. Her voice, which tenderly retains ancient registers of wisdom, has a timbre that sweetly modulates prodigies of art and beauty and, where necessary, sternly hardens at the shadow of injustice. The Violin of Auschwitz has been translated into 14 languages, among them in Swedish (Fiolen från Auschwitz, Albert Bonniers, 2014).
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THE INSTITUT RAMON LLULL
The Institut Ramon Llull is a public consortium established in 2002 with the aim of promoting the Catalan language and culture abroad. This mission is accomplished by providing broad international exposure to writers and artists, encouraging artistic and cultural exchanges, and supporting Catalan language and literature studies in universities.
Currently, the consortium is formed by the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council. The Institut Ramon Llull’s work is structured in three main areas of activity promoting the following: visual arts, architecture and design, performing arts, music and film (Department of Performing and Visual Arts); Catalan literary and scholarly works.
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The Institut Ramon Llull promotes the publication in other languages of Catalan literary and scholarly works—with a special emphasis on the classics—by providing grant support to the publishers of those translated works. It aims to provide exposure of Catalan authors and works within the international setting and encourages their participation in literary and cultural exchanges, and, at the same time, works to place Catalan literature as guest of honour at international book fairs. The Institut provides support to literary translators from the Catalan language with the aim of encouraging quality translations, ongoing training and recognition for their work. www.llull.cat
“Catalonia is, certainly, a place of literature� Colum McCann